ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (May 27, 2004) -- Apt to Be, who races in the colors
of Arlington Park Chairman Richard L. Duchossois, has accepted co-starting
highweight of 119 pounds in defense of his title in the Grade III Hanshin
Cup Saturday at the suburban Chicago oval. The $100,000 Hanshin Cup is a
one-mile race for 3-year-olds and up and will be run as the ninth of 10
races on the Saturday card.

Trained by Chris Block, Apt to Be is making just his second start of
the season in the Hanshin. In his lone prep for this year's running, the
7-year-old gelding finished seventh in an allowance race at Hawthorne Race
Course on the turf, which is not his preferred surface.

In his 2003 campaign, which was highlighted by his Hanshin score, the son of
Rahy was three for five with all of his victories coming over the Arlington
dirt, where he is eight for 11 overall. Equally impressive is his record at
the Hanshin distance of one mile: six wins and two seconds from nine
starts at the distance.

C. H. Marquez Jr. picks up the mount on Apt to Be, who starts from the
outside post in the field of seven.

Sharing the top impost with Apt to Be is Charles J. Cella's Crafty Shaw.
The son of Crafty Prospector comes into the Hanshin off a runner-up finish
in the Grade III Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Previously, the Peter
Vestal-trained horse ran second in the Grade III Razorback Handicap and
third in the Grade III Essex Handicap, also at the central Arkansas oval.
His lone victory of the year came in his first outing when he captured a
one-mile allowance race there. Craig Perret comes in to ride Crafty Shaw,
who starts from post five.

Wiggins, champion Illinois-bred 3-year-old of 2003, returns to his homebase
after scoring a front-stepping victory in an allowance race at Prairie
Meadows in Iowa in his most recent start on May 4. In his only other trip
to the post this season, the Tony Granitz-trained 4-year-old ran second in
the $92,000 Milwaukee Avenue Handicap over Illinois-breds at Hawthorne on
April 10.

Last year, the son of Cartwright was five for seven including open company
stakes scores in the $100,000 Round Table Stakes here and the $76,000
Prairie Meadows Derby. He has three wins over this course and has never
finished worse than third in six starts at Arlington.

The speedy Coach Jimi Lee will try to stretch out to a mile for the Hanshin.
Last time out, he finished a close second after making the pace for most of
the way in the 5½-furlong Prairie Express Stakes at Prairie Meadows.
Earlier this year, the Jim DiVito charge was competitive against graded
stakes rivals in Florida, finishing third behind Alke and Cajun Beat, last
year's Breeders' Cup Sprint victor, in the Grade III Deputy Minister
Handicap at Gulfstream Park. He also posted a runner-up finish in the Grade
II Richter Scale Breeders' Cup Handicap at that Hallandale Beach, Florida,
racetrack.

Last season, the son of Roar won five races including a track record setting
performance at Hawthorne when he covered six furlongs in a blistering
1:07.27. He also had stakes tallies in the Lost Code Breeders' Cup and Zany
Tactic stakes at Hawthorne, and the Shecky Greene and Forward Pass stakes at
Arlington.